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Coastal Flooding Slams Massachusetts Shore; Thousands Remain Without Power Wednesday | The Weather Channel
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Coastal Flooding Slams Massachusetts Shore; Thousands Remain Without Power Wednesday

A day after coastal flooding in Massachusetts trapped many in their homes, officials were assessing the full scope of the damage left by Winter Storm Juno.

At least one person was reported dead in Massachusetts as a result of the storm. At a news conference Wednesday, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said a 53-year-old man suffered a "cardiac event" while shoveling snow on Tuesday night. He was believed to have had a pre-existing heart condition and his name was not made public, according to The Associated Press.

In Marshfield, at least four homes are likely to be condemned, while another dozen houses sustained substantial damage, The Associated Press reports. A similar story in Scituate, where at least five seaside homes were badly damaged.

“The storm came down both sides of the house,” Lisa Caisse, of Scituate, on the state's South Shore, told The Boston Globe. “It took out the wall that would have protected our door.”

Caisse and her husband, as well as at least six other families in the area, had to call for a rescue. When she left her home, at least 9 inches of water had entered the basement, and there was water spraying through a side door, she said.

A National Weather Service-issued coastal flood advisory remained in effect until 7 a.m. local time Wednesday, with morning high tide bringing new risks in many coastal areas.

The blizzard warning expired for the city of Boston and eastern Massachusetts at 1 a.m. Wednesday. In total, Juno dumped 36 inches of snow on parts of Wocester and Middlesex counties in Massachusetts and more than 31 on parts of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk counties. Boston's Logan International Airport saw more than 24.6 inches of snow by midday Wednesday.

(MORE: The Latest Forecast)

Midday Wednesday, about 6,550 homes remained powerless, according to local utilities.

At daybreak Wednesday, more than 9,600 utility customers across the state are without power, according to data from National Grid and Nstar. At one point, more than 30,000 across the state lost power — actually less than feared, thanks to Juno's light, fluffy snow. 

The island of Nantucket might have fared the worst when it came to power outages during Juno. By 7 a.m. Tuesday, all of Nantucket was without power and land line service, according to island newspaper The Inquirer and Mirror. With 78 miles an hour winds lashing the island, ferry service from the mainland was been suspended and whiteout conditions made flights to the island impossible, leaving the island residents stranded, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The storm is also brought high winds and temperatures in the teens, according to The Telegram, with wind gusts of 78 and even 85 mph reported in Nantucket.

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“You name it, we’re dealing with it,” said Police Chief William Pittman to The Boston Globe on Tuesday. “The only thing we didn’t get is three feet of snow. Instead, we got three feet of water.”

Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, however, power began to be restored to parts of the island, the local paper said.

With Winter Storm Juno winding down, Gov. Charlie Baker said late Tuesday afternoon that the travel ban in Eastern and Central Massachusetts would lift at midnight Tuesday and that MBTA public transit service would resume Wednesday, reported The Boston Globe

A snow emergency and parking bans on major arteries remain in effect in Boston since Monday evening. Boston Public Schools as well as dozens of other districts in the state decided to remain closed Wednesday. Several Boston-area colleges and university have also canceled Tuesday classes. Here is a complete list of school closings.

(MORE: Juno: Latest Updates Across New England)

Amtrak will resume operation of Acela Express and Northeast Regional trains on a modified schedule with reduced frequencies between New York and Boston on Wednesday, according to an Amtrak press release.  

All flights into and out of Logan International Airport were canceled after 7:30 p.m. Monday evening. Service is expected to ramp up throughout the morning Wednesday.

NECN reports that in parts of Scituate, power was cut as a fire prevention strategy by the fire department. Flooding during a 2010 storm sparked an electrical fire that spread when the power was unable to be shut off, according to The Boston Globe.

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant has temporarily powered down and could be offline for days after a storm-related outage of two power lines that occurred around 4 a.m. Tuesday, reports The Boston Globe. Plant officials say that the safety systems worked as designed and that the plant is currently stable, posing no threat to the safety of plant workers or the public. The plant is the only nuclear facility in the state.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Winter Storm Juno Slams the Northeast

An unidentified town official helps Greg Longo, left, remove belongings from his house after it was heavily damaged by ocean waves during a winter storm in Marshfield, Mass., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015.  The storm has punched out a section of the seawall in the coastal town of Marshfield, police said. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
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An unidentified town official helps Greg Longo, left, remove belongings from his house after it was heavily damaged by ocean waves during a winter storm in Marshfield, Mass., Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. The storm has punched out a section of the seawall in the coastal town of Marshfield, police said. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
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